We had spent numerous evenings on
the telephone throughout the previous
months, going back and forth over
various design details as our projects
evolved and grew toward completion
on our workbenches. I can’t imagine a
better way to have ended the 2015 flying
season.

New Beginnings

Although you will be reading this
column in midsummer, I am writing it
in early April, right after driving home
from the annual Toledo Show: R/C
Model Expo. I usually leave for the show
thinking I will need to mow the lawn
again soon, and return realizing that the
first cut of the season is, in fact, past due.

Despite our mild winter, that wasn’t
the case this year. Instead, I drove the
last hour coming home through a late-season snow, and awoke the next day to
an expanse of white that promised to
keep the mower idle for at least another
week or so. Indeed, I didn’t see anyone
mowing a lawn in our town until the
following Friday.

Being air minded, another marker I
have for the arrival of spring is my first
full-scale J- 3 Cub sighting of the season.

This year, it came a couple of days after
returning from Toledo and it was a treat.

Instead of one of a few local J-3s, this
year’s first was a relatively rare J- 4 Cub
Coupe, sliding down final, and crossing
my path as I drove under its approach.

For those scratching their heads,
the J- 4 Cub Coupe was introduced in

1938 as a gussied-up version of the J- 3,
featuring a more sociable side-by-side
seating arrangement. Despite easier cabin
access and the chance to yell directly
into your partner’s ear while he or she
keeps a ready finger on the chart or
hands you a sandwich, the extra $500

or so made it a tough sell over the well-proven J- 3.

Piper produced 1,251 J-4s before all
civilian aircraft manufacturing ceased
with the US entry into World War II.

Flying Models

The other new beginning to report
is the much-anticipated rebirth of

Flying Models. I had fully intended to
be publishing the magazine by now,
but unfortunately, family health issues
throughout the last year derailed my
energy. These matters have fortunately
since been resolved.

I apologize for being somewhat out
of touch during that time, and want to
assure you that we are now back on
track and pushing forward. Thank you
all for your patience. Although I don’t
have a hard date for the first issue as I
write this, updated information will be
available on the Flying Models website by
the time you read this.

The short version of the good news
is that those with existing subscriptions
will receive their magazines when we
start printing again. Many of you will
also be happy to hear that the Flying
Models plans catalog will be available
again as well, with online sales offered on
the Flying Models website.

Until next time, feel free to send me an
email and let me know what is on your
workbench.